A Father's Gift
by Overlyinspired
Summary: A Hyuuga tradition leads to a touching moment between Neji and his uncle, Hiashi.


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or Neji. Or Hiashi. Or Hiazashi. Or any of them...but you should know that by now.

A/N: I'm sorry for anyone who's waiting for me to update Magical Mission. School just started and it's hard to find time to work on it. The only reason that I can work on one-shots is 'cause I have a notebook that I bring with me to school and write in during my free periods and whatever. Anyway, this idea came to me after I finished the other one with Neji and Hiashi. I thought it might be kind of a possible incident...or not.

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Neji bowed to his uncle, his unbound hair brushing the floor.

"Rise, Neji," Hiashi ordered. Neji obeyed. "Congratulations, Neji. You have achieved the rank of Jounin." This was the formal acknowledgement by the Main Family. This was required, despite how annoying both Neji and Hiashi considered it. They were both more interested in the next part of the tradition.

In the Hyuuga clan, practically everyone was or at had at one time been a ninja. Because of this, once a Hyuuga reached the rank of Jounin, he/she was given his or her father's Leaf headband. In families with more than one child, it went to the oldest. Traditionally, it was presented by the father himself, but Neji's father was dead. It had been decided by the clan elders that the head of teh lcan should present the headband instead.

Hiashi looked his nephew over, trying to figure out what he felt about this. All he could see was desperate longing. Neji wanted to hold that piece of the father he hadn't seen for years and would never see again. Hiashi slowly picked the headband up off of the low table it had been resting on. He was reluctant to give up his twin's headband. Hiashi looked at the chipped and battered metal one last time before holding it out to Neji. His nephew accepted it reverently and stared down at the faded Leaf symbol, as though if he stared long enough, Hiazashi would return. Hiashi was sure that there were tears forming in Neji's eyes, judging from the way that the boy's shoulders were shaking. He heard a muffled sob and Neji's hands were gripping the headband so tightly that the edges of the metal were drawing blood.

"Neji, let go," Hiashi reached out and gently pried Neji's fingers open. A few drops of blood dripped off of Neji's hands.

"I apologize, Hiashi-sama," Neji murmured, head still bowed. His shoulders were still shaking. Hiashi simply used part of the draping sleeves to wipe the blood away. He would see to it that Neji's hands were bandaged.

"Just make sure that you bandage the cuts properly." Neji nodded. Hiashi was about to walk away when he heard Neji's voice from behind him, sounding childish and sad.

"I miss him." Hiashi turned back to him. Neji's head was lifted, and Hiashi could clearly see the tears that ran down his cheeks.

"Naturally," Hiashi said, carefully keeping his face blank. Where was Neji going with this? The boy opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it again without saying another word.

Hiashi continued to keep his face still. They stood silently for a few moments, tears still making their way down Neji's cheeks. The boy looked down at the headband and bit his lip, trying to control himself. Finally, Hiashi grew impatient.

"Neji, what's wrong?"

"He...today..." Neji bit his lip again in a futile attempt to stop himself from breaking down, but Hiashi understood.

"You wanted him to be here today." Neji nodded, clutching the headband against his chest.

"I wanted him to see me become a Jounin. I was becoming his equal, but..."

"He died." Hiashi said flatly. Neji nodded.

"He died." And then the tears came, and this time Neji didn't even try to stop them. Neji's choked sobs echoed hollowly through the room. Hiashi hadn't seen Neji cry since the boy was five and mourning his newly-deceased father.

Hiashi was hesitant to try and offer comfort. He didn't want Neji to get more upset. Although, Hiashi though dryly, judging from how loud the sobs were getting, making him more upse would be hard. His internal debate raged for a few minutes before his paternal instinct overwhelmed everything else. Hiashi pulled Neji into his arms, ignoring how the boy tensed.

"You're allowed to grieve, Neji. You can cry." At these words, all of Neji's self-control shattered. Even when Neji had broken down a few minutes previously, some subconscious barrier had kept him relatively quiet.

Now though...now the sheer force of the boy's sobs made both Neji and Hiashi shake. Neji's arms came up a tightly wrapped themselves around Hiashi the way a frightened child would cling. Hiashi simply held Neji and wondered how many other occasions that were supposed to be special had hurt Neji like this. He could certainly think of at least a few...entering the acadamy, graduating from the acadamy, first mission as a genin, becoming a chunnin, first mission as a chunnin, first mission that Neji commanded...not to mention Hiazashi's birthday and the anniversary of his death. Hiashi could feel the hot tears dripping onto his skin from how Neji had pressed his face against Hiashi's collarbone.

When the sobs had finally subsided and Neji still didn't move away, Hiashi pulled back and carefully used his clean sleeve to wipe the last traces of tears away. Neji's eyes were red and puffy, and Hiashi was willing to bet that the crying had given the boy a raging headache. Neji bowed deeply, returning to the Hyuuga ritual.

"Thank you, Hiashi-sama." Hiashi simply nodded. The subject was closed and not to be brought up again. Neji gave Hiashi a faint smile and rose from his bow.

"Take some aspirin for your headache and go lay down for awhile," Neji nodded and left.

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A few hours later, Neji's teammates and most of the Rookie 9 (excepting Naruto and Sasuke, who were gone.) Hiashi watched as they essentially dragged Neji out the door. Hinata left with them, shyly talking to the girl that was on Neji's team. Neji was trying to extricate himself from his other teammate's congratulatory hug. Hiashi watched them leave and smiled faintly. Neji had been wearing his father's headband.

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A/N: So...review, please...for Neji.

Neji: I don't care what you people do. Leave me alone. T.T


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